


Your Fault, My Fault

by coolpointsetta



Category: Transformers: Prime
Genre: Bulkhead is a teddy bear, Family trope, Implied/Referenced Character Death, M/M, Minor Character Death, Ultra Magnus can be a bit of a dick, Ultra Magnus is misunderstood, Wartime, Wheeljack hates commanders, Wheeljack is emotionally challenged, they make up in the end dont worry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:15:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/coolpointsetta/pseuds/coolpointsetta
Summary: Wheeljack had a strong dislike for authority figures. It wasn't because of some deep, dark daddy issues or he that was a hateful person; he definitely had his reasons. But hereallyhated authority figures.
Relationships: Bulkhead/Wheeljack, Ultra Magnus & Wheeljack
Comments: 7
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> One thing that TFP did that was so amazing and interesting to me was the little insights they gave into a character's background. Flashback episodes of Arcee and Cliff or Optimus as Orion Pax and his history with Megatron, and I love how they gave Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus a history and a story arc where they grew to respect each other. I just wanted to make a fic about one possible way Wheeljack came to hate Ultra Magnus so much. This is by no means canon or anything, just something I came up with. 
> 
> Enjoy!

In hindsight, the mission had been destined to go badly. 

The Wreckers had been requested by Optimus and the other high commanders to assist in the next round of storming Praxus, which was currently under Decepticon control. Praxus was a valuable location for both teams, but as the mini-war continued to rage on for the city, it became unclear just _why_ the city was so important in the first place. 

The Wreckers were supposed to be the first line of attack, making it into the Decepticon fortress that was originally theirs and blow the joint - and by extension, its defensive canons - to smithereens so the Higher Command ships could come in and take out the rest of the Decepticon forces. 

Suicide mission, of course. But that's what the Wreckers lived for. 

They were out manned and outgunned going into the battle; only Ultra Magnus, Bulkhead, Pyro, and a few others. The Wreckers had been losing a lot of their members lately, either by desertion or death. 

Many mechs deserted because of Ultra Magnus's command. The mech had been put into the leadership roll by Optimus Prime himself after Impactor had been killed. He was calculating, strict and proud, and he tried to force the Wreckers to change and follow his command, stating that it was best if the Wreckers had more discipline and control. 

Some would rather die. 

Despite the infighting, new chain of command and the obvious death mission in front of them, the Wreckers couldn't refuse. They'd met with Optimus and the other members of the attack teams, setting up their plans of attack. 

Wheeljack, who had been gravely injured in the last battle, built the explosive device that would be implanted in the Decepticon command center and blow the joint. It could be controlled remotely, unless the countdown sequence was disrupted, then it could only be activated manually. It was entrusted to Seaspray.

The first thing that went wrong was the Decepticons somehow knew the Wreckers would be attacking first. The Cons laced their perimeter with bombs and stasis beams, which took out about half of the Wreckers to begin with, and another portion was assigned to get the injured and sleeping out of the line of fire. Seaspray had been hit by a stasis beam, so Pyro had taken the bomb. 

The remaining forces had struggled their way into the Decepticon fortress, making their way to the lower levels without much hassle from the Decepticons since Ultra Magnus had managed to seal off the main entrance to the building, forcing the Decepticons to try and make their way in through the ceiling. 

The Wreckers knew of secret tunnels in the fortress from when the stronghold had been theirs, but they were still running out of time. 

"Pyro! Leave it!" Ultra Magnus ordered, lifting up a panel on the floor where the main secret tunnel was. "We will find another way to destroy the fortress but if don't leave _now_ we will all die!" 

Pyro's digits didn't stop working over the bomb as he attached it to the power core, placing the wires just so on the surface beneath it. He didn't turn around to look at Ultra Magnus, his optics glued on the bomb before him. 

"With all due respect, can't do that, sir! Without this bomb, Optimus Prime can't get through and take back Praxus." Pyro argued. "And they _need_ to take Praxus!" 

Bulkhead looked from Pyro to Ultra Magnus, concerned about what the decision would be. 

Wheeljack had explained that the bomb needed three minutes to be properly set up, and one more minute until it was ready to be remotely activated. Pyro was about done with the set up part of it, he needed maybe a minute before he was done. 

But the Decepticons would be on their position in about thirty seconds. 

"Solider, I am not allowing you to stay behind. We will inform Optimus Prime that we were unable to get the job done and we will try again a different day." Ultra Magnus said, gesturing for Bulkhead to make his way into the tunnel to escape. "You do not have the time to argue with me." 

Pyro was silent for a moment and his servos hovered over the bomb. 

Bulkhead hoped that Pyro would tear the bomb from the wall and run towards them, and they could do just as Ultra Magnus said. He didn't like it, but the commander had a point. 

Ultra Magnus watched his solider, his optics narrowed and cold. 

Pyro turned over his shoulder, and any hope in Bulkhead's spark disappeared the instant he saw the look in his teammate's optic. "No sir, you don't have time to argue with _me_." Pyro turned back to the bomb and deactivated the countdown sequence, before turning to look back at Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead. 

"Pyro you piece of scrap." Bulkhead whispered and Pyro shot him a wink. He crawled out of the tunnel, standing beside Ultra Magnus. "Let's stay with you, go out with a bang." 

Pyro chuckled. "Do you really think Wheeljack won't bring me back from the dead and beat me to a pulp if you died here with me?" Pyro shook his head. "No, you're not dying here." 

"You piece of scrap, you son of a scraplet." Bulkhead said fondly, his throat becoming a little constricted from the tears welling up in the back of his throat. 

"Sorry Bulk. Give the rest of the boys my best." Pyro smiled before he looked back to Ultra Magnus. "I will hold them off long enough for you two to take the tunnel out. Send me a message when you're clear, then tell Optimus Prime to storm this Pit forsaken place." 

Bulkhead whipped the tear that was starting to form in his optic and looked up at Ultra Magnus. The commander gave Pyro a salute; formal and pristine, but Pyro didn't return the gesture. 

"Your planet thanks you solider." Ultra Magnus's voice was twisted in a way that Bulkhead hadn't heard before, not since Impactor. 

It was the tone of a leader addressing someone they respected who was about to die. 

Pyro gave a nod and there was a loud thud from the ceiling. "Get outta here boys or we're all gonna join the All Spark."

Bulkhead gave Pyro one last smile before he ducked down into the tunnel, Ultra Magnus following close behind. 

The two of them crawled out together, as quickly as they could. The tunnel was small and cramped, but they made slow and steady progress the whole way. 

The second they were out of the tunnel, they sent a message to Optimus Prime, telling him that the fortress was destroyed. Bulkhead sent the message to Pyro, saying he was all clear. 

The fortress blew sky high not ten seconds later. 

Meanwhile, back at the Wrecker base, Wheeljack was becoming restless and unable to sit still. 

He had already taken apart some of his berth and made it into a miniature fire gun, given the device to Whirl, and let the mech run free with the Primus forsaken weapon. 

Seaspray had been placed beside him, so Wheeljack had begun to talk his mouth off in order to pass the time. 

"Oh _shut up_ , Wheeljack, he's gonna be _fine_ , you're just bein' dramatic." 

Wheeljack rolled his optics and threw his empty cube across the room at Seaspray. The only reason Wheeljack did not get up from his berth - other than the fact that he really _couldn't move_ \- was because Seaspray told him how they must have had a mole or something, since the Decepticons knew they were coming. 

He explained how he was shot with the stasis beam, but not before handing the bomb off to Pyro to talk with Bulkhead and Ultra Magnus into the fortress. 

"Pyro barely knows his right from his left, I think I get to be a little worried 'bout 'Pyro' and 'set the bomb' bein' used in the same sentence." Wheeljack retorted, flinching a little as he shifted on his berth, causing his leg to shift as well. 

The lower half of Wheeljack's leg had been blown off in the last Wrecker battle, but luckily after extensive surgery the limb had been reattached. He was still on bed rest to allow it to heal properly, which he was _not_ happy about. His recovery process was almost complete, but he still wasn't cleared to walk or fight. 

Needless to say he was going a little stir crazy. 

Seaspray rolled his optics and the younger mech before he looked up and towards the entrance to the Wrecker barracks. "Here they come!" 

Wheeljack turned eagerly, a sense of relief filling his spark as he saw Bulkhead walking towards him. He was so excited to see his partner he didn't notice the sadness in his optics, or that anyone was missing from the return team. However, Seaspray did detect it, and his own smile faded from his face. 

Bulkhead made his way to Wheeljack and wrapped him in a tight hug, catching Wheeljack off guard. Wheeljack patted Bulkhead on the back awkwardly until his partner broke the embrace. Bulkhead gave him a forceful kiss on the lips, grabbing Wheeljack's face in both of his servos. 

When Bulkhead broke away, Wheeljack met his optics, a smile still on his face plates. "Good to see you too, Bulk. I think this means the mission went well?" 

Bulkhead said nothing, but Wheeljack finally noticed the sadness in his partner's optics and his smile quickly fell from his face. "Bulk, what's wrong?" 

Seaspray spoke up next, his voice shakier than he expected. "Where's Pyro?" 

Bulkhead didn't meet their gazes, his optics trained at the floor. He began to explain the whole story, starting from where Pyro picked up the bomb from Seaspray to when Bulkhead sent their fellow Wrecker the message that he was in the clear to blow himself up. 

Seaspray said nothing, his optics getting a distant look in them and his mouth hung open ever so slightly. His servos clenched at the warming blankets draped over his lower half. He bit his lip to keep the tears inside. 

Wheeljack, on the other hand, did not react how Bulkhead expected him to. 

At first he got really quiet, listening to the whole story. He reached out for Bulkhead's hand after a while, squeezing it for both his benefit and Bulkhead's. At some point during the story, Wheeljack's optics had narrowed and turned from sad to angry. 

Bulkhead followed his mate's gaze and saw him staring at Ultra Magnus. The Wrecker commander was talking with Whirl, seemingly in deep conversation with him. 

Wheeljack clenched his jaw hard and braced himself for the pain, then he gripped onto the trapeze above him, twisting his pedes off the berth and moving slowly to stand. 

Bulkhead looked back to his mate as Seaspray made a surprised yell to alert him, but Wheeljack was half off the berth already, still glaring at Ultra Magnus from across the room. 

"Whoa, Jackie, easy. You're not cleared to move." Bulkhead tried to reason, but Wheeljack wasn't listening to him. His optics were glued on Ultra Magnus, as if that was his motivation to get off his berth, no matter the pain. "Jackie, sit back down please, I can go get the commander." 

"No." Wheeljack seethed out between his teeth, pain obvious in his voice. "No, _no_." 

Wheeljack's voice was pitiful and his attempts to get off the berth were even more so, but Bulkhead tried not to comment on that. 

"Bulkhead," Bulkhead looked back to Seaspray, who was giving him a 'let him go' look. Bulkhead nodded once and took his servos off of Wheeljack, allowing his spark mate to slowly limp forward towards the new commander. 

Wheeljack made it all the way to Ultra Magnus, his winglets drooped down his back, and even though Bulkhead couldn't see his face, he could picture the absolute expression of anger written all over it. 

When Wheeljack spoke, it caused any and all conversation to cease in the barracks, everyone turning their attention to Wheeljack squaring off against the commander. 

" _You're_ responsible for his death!" Wheeljack bellowed, and Whirl almost dropped his energon cube in surprise. 

Ultra Magnus looked up in surprise, but his optics darkened slightly when he saw it was Wheeljack in front of him. His optics roamed freely over Wheeljack's frame for a moment, spending an extra second or two on Wheeljack's weak leg. 

He looked back up and met Wheeljack's gaze. "Yes, Wheeljack. As his commanding officer, I am responsible for his death." 

Wheeljack let out a cold chuckle. " _No_ , what I meant was that he wouldn't have had to _die_ if you had just gave him the time to properly deploy the bomb." Wheeljack pointed out. "Manually wasn't the only option for it." 

Ultra Magnus's face didn't change. "There was not enough time to properly deploy the bomb and evacuate the area." Ultra Magnus argued, taking a small step closer to Wheeljack. "I ordered Pyro to retreat, but he refused. He chose to make the honorable sacrifice." 

Wheeljack's winglets pressed lower to his back and his servos clenched. Bulkhead was very tempted to pull his mate away from this debate, but he knew there was no possible way he could get in the way of the two of them now. 

They were glaring at each other so intensely Bulkhead half expected them to break out into a fight. 

"Do you even _hear_ yourself when you speak?" Wheeljack taunted, his voice twisted in pain and anger. "It's _your fault_ that Pyro had to use the manual override at all. If you had done the proper recon before the fight, it would have given him more time and he would have lived." 

Ultra Magnus's optics narrowed. "Watch your tone with me, solider. I can confine you to base without any hope of seeing the battlefield, on this planet or any other." 

Wheeljack scoffed at that. "You can't 'make me' do anythin'." Wheeljack argued, using air quotes to show the commander just how he felt about those words.

Ultra Magnus's expression did change there, minutely reacting to the surprised whispers of the Wreckers watching the argument. 

"Need I remind you that Optimus Prime himself put me in charge of all of you _loose canons_ to bring the proper amount of discipline and respect out of you so that we might actually get the job done?" Ultra Magnus straightened, putting his servos on his hips. Wheeljack rolled his optics. 

"And need I remind _you_ , _sir_ ," Wheeljack deliberately drawled out the word 'sir', because he knew it offended Ultra Magnus to hear the word in that tone than not at all. "that we're _Wreckers_. We're not meant to be disciplined or controlled. That's why we do missions no one else does, why we have the highest kills of any unit." Wheeljack gestured around to the rest of the Wreckers in the barracks, who were now whispering approvingly to each other. 

Wheeljack turned to face off against the commander once again. "Can you see that or is that pole stuck in your aft so far up its damaging your neural net?" 

"Jackie…" Bulkhead called out to his spark mate, a few of the other Wreckers snickering around him. Wheeljack held up a servo towards Bulkhead without even turning over his shoulder. 

"Solider, I suggest -" Ultra Magnus started, but Wheeljack was too far gone in his anger to let him speak. 

"No, I suggest you listen to me." Wheeljack said, rising up in his still injured leg so he was just a few inches closer to Ultra Magnus's face. "I don't _respect_ you. I don't _like_ you. I was willin' to tolerate ya 'cause you were gettin' the job done. But what happened today with Pyro is _not_ somethin' I can support you for, and -" 

Ultra Magnus rose up on his own pedes so he and Wheeljack were at the same odds they started at. "Wheeljack, I said _watch your tone_." 

"Newsflash _sir_ , you're not Bulk and you're not my commander. Like I said, you can't make me do _anythin'_." Wheeljack barked coldly. But Ultra Magnus was the one who was too far gone now. 

The words tumbled out before Ultra Magnus could stop them. 

" _Newsflash_ , Wheeljack," He began. "I have tolerated your _insubordination_ because you managed to impress me slightly with your battle skills and loyalty to the force. But you have grown reckless and dangerous and I cannot allow that. The only reason you have not been _kicked off_ this team is because Bulkhead is your mate and you would likely become captured or die on your own. 

If it were up to me, I would have sent you off this planet a long time ago, not only for the safety of this team, but for the safety of your spark mate. You're still the lonely, _damaged_ mech I was put in charge of, and that will _never_ change." 

When Ultra Magnus finished his outburst, he knew the damage had been done. 

The Wreckers who had been listening to their conversation had tried to turn away and focus on minor tasks, too afraid to look at Ultra Magnus or Wheeljack at the moment. Behind the white Wrecker, Bulkhead had fallen back against the wall, his optics open in surprise but his servos were clenched in anger. Seaspray was at his side, a comforting servo on Bulkhead's shoulder. 

Wheeljack had taken a step back, his optics glistening with tears. 

"Wheeljack, I apologize, that was incredibly rude of me-" Ultra Magnus started, but Wheeljack interrupted him. 

"No, I get it." Wheeljack bowed a little and spread his arms in a dramatic gesture. "Guess I'm confined to the base then, huh?" 

It wasn't a question. 

Wheeljack said nothing more, slowly turning around and making his way back to the infirmary to get back on his berth, where he would be spending not only his recovery, but his confinement as well. 

Bulkhead and Seaspray followed, not looking at the commander as they turned. 

Around him, the Wreckers began whispering to each other, trying to get out of the barracks for any reason at all.

After a few stunned moments staring at the place Wheeljack once stood, Ultra Magnus returned to his desk, but he wasn't able to focus on the data reports in front of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ultra Magnus had thought they'd made some progress, but apparently he'd been wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This work was only supposed to be one chapter, but this idea came to me and it worked so perfectly I just had to write it. Enjoy and thanks for reading!

Wheeljack had been avoiding him. 

Ultra Magnus suspected it had become habit in their centuries of knowing each other. 

Wheeljack, for being such an upfront and brash mech, would put off actually saying what he was thinking for weeks at a time until it eventually boiled over in his regular, crude attitude. It'd happened so many times before Ultra Magnus had lost track. 

Pyro's death. 

The conversation they'd had before Wheeljack left the Wreckers. 

The numerous conversations and stand offs they'd already had on Earth. 

Ultra Magnus had hoped that Wheeljack would have opened up to him after their fight with the Predacon. _Predaking_ , the self declared leader of the Predacons, Ultra Magnus reminded himself firmly. His servo gave a phantom throb as he thought back to the fierce warrior. 

They'd fought hard, they'd fought bravely, but most importantly, they fought _together_ , something that hadn't happened ever before. 

Wheeljack had even admitted that he had begun to _like_ the commander, after all these eons, after all these arguments. 

It had shocked Ultra Magnus so much that he'd admitted as well that it was an honor to fight beside him. 

Maybe Wheeljack had confessed because he thought he was about to die, but Ultra Magnus had meant what he said. 

It was a week after their fight, and the only words Wheeljack had said to him were only _directed_ at him, not spoken to him. And while most of the team thought that was normal, Ultra Magnus knew it wasn't. 

Not for Wheeljack. 

He didn't look at Ultra Magnus, and if he did their eye contact was brief and awkward before Wheeljack showed himself out. 

If Wheeljack needed to retrieve his rations, he'd send Bulkhead to grab them while he hid in their shared berth room. If Wheeljack was called in for a patrol, he was in vehicle mode the entire time, citing he wanted to 'get these damn things over with'. If there was a little team party in the main hall, Wheeljack would hide behind Bulkhead and avoid his gaze. 

Whenever Ultra Magnus tried to ask someone if they noticed it, they usually said they hadn't noticed Wheeljack acting weird; he always was a little bit of a loner. 

When asked, Bulkhead became a stuttering mess until someone saved him from himself. 

Ultra Magnus prided himself on being a patient mech, but being stuck on a berth without the use of both hands was starting to drive him up a wall. 

He'd been napping when he heard their conversation. 

"Bulk, I _can't_ ," Wheeljack's voice, coming from just outside of the hanger behind the screen door. It sounded pained and forced. 

"Jackie, you have to." Bulkhead's voice now, stern but tender at the same time. Ultra Magnus recognized that voice as the one he used when telling Miko she couldn't skip class anymore. 

There was a long silence. "I don't even know what to say." Wheeljack again. 

The sound of the door opening scared Ultra Magnus into turning his helm and closing his optics again, trying to fake sleep in case Wheeljack didn't do what he was supposed to do. 

Ultra Magnus had a pretty good guess of what that was. 

"Just tell him what you told me, that was pretty good." Bulkhead said, and Ultra Magnus recognized the sound of scraping metal and it was almost enough to make him smile in his sleep as he realized Bulkhead was literally _pushing_ his mate back into the hanger. "It's been a _week_ , Jackie." 

"I was gonna do it, I swear." 

"Uh huh, and I've been lobbing with the Fallen." Bulkhead's joke managed to get a laugh out of Wheeljack. "I'll be waiting right outside, okay?" 

"Okay," Ultra Magnus attempted to tune out the sound of Bulkhead giving Wheeljack's forehead a kiss and a little something extra for encouragement, but it was no use. 

A few moments later, Ultra Magnus heard Bulkhead's retreating footsteps and the scraping of the hanger door closing once again. 

Wheeljack's footsteps came next, getting closer by the second. There was a thud Ultra Magnus couldn't quite place, then a long exhale from the Wrecker. 

There was a long beat of silence and Ultra Magnus wondered if Wheeljack was just going to stand there until a long enough time period passed that the white Bot could run out to his mate and pretend that he said what he needed to. 

Knowing Wheeljack, it was entirely possible. 

"You can stop pretendin' to sleep," Wheeljack said after a few moments, surprising Ultra Magnus. "We both know yer awake." 

Ultra Magnus let out a long exhale of his own and turned so he was looking at the solider. Wheeljack was sitting on a crate, his arms crossed over his chassis and his lips pressed in a thin line. One of his legs was bouncing; a sign of nervousness that was rarely seen from him. 

"You have been avoiding me," Ultra Magnus huffed; not in a degrading tone, but conversational.

"Yeah." Wheeljack admitted a little too fast. "Sorry." 

He wasn't. 

"I understand if you do not wish to talk," Ultra Magnus said slowly. "if you would prefer, we can just pass the time by discussing patrols or stories from the War, and then you can report back to Bulkhead that we said what we needed to, and all is well." 

Wheeljack scoffed, looking up at the rafters for a moment. "Nah, Bulk's probably listenin' right now anyway. Nosey glitch!" Wheeljack raised his tone, and his response was pounding on the hanger door. 

Wheeljack looked back to Ultra Magnus, his expression unreadable. "Look, I-"

"You don't have to say anything, solider, I understand." Ultra Magnus attempted to sit up so he could leave the room, but Wheeljack spoke up.

"If you get outta that berth I will sick the Doc on you." Their stares met, and Ultra Magnus eventually conceded, knowing the wrath of Wheeljack - as bad as that was - was much preferred over the wrath of Ratchet. "I _do_ have to say something, I _do_ , it's just…" 

There was a pause as Wheeljack rested his chin on his fingers, looking up at Ultra Magnus pensively. The longer the silence stretched, the more strained Wheeljack's expression became, as if this conversation physically _pained_ him to have, or the words brimming on his tongue were like acid. 

"You…are not a bad commander." Wheeljack finally spat out. "You're actually a very good one. You get the job done, you keep a cool head when the scrap hits the fan and you…" Wheeljack paused and looked at Ultra Magnus a little closer, and the commander watched as all the pain left his face. "and you didn't run." 

Wheeljack seemed to gain confidence as he spoke. "In my experience, I've had a grand total of two commanders not leave their men when it all went to scrap: Impactor, and now you." Wheeljack's voice rose an octave as he mentioned his former commander and friend, and Ultra Magnus gave it a moment of silent respect. "When Predaking came outta that ground bridge lookin' to kill, I half expected ya to run." 

Wheeljack paused and let out a small chuckle. "Pit, I would've, if I could." 

"That is a lie," Ultra Magnus said, a small attempt at humor. They both knew how much Wheeljack loved to laugh in the face of danger, taunt that he had survived all these eons, all these trials and fights. 

Wheeljack looked away for a moment and Ultra Magnus waited for him to finish his piece. 

"But you didn't. You stayed and fought like the Thirteen were behind ya. Ya fought beside me, ya fought _for_ me. And I…" Wheeljack broke off and swallowed harshly. "I can't figure out why."

Ultra Magnus took a moment to look at the mech before him, _really_ look at him. It was obviously uncomfortable and out of character for Wheeljack to be here, given their harsh and terrible history. 

Wheeljack's entire frame was tense and he was averting his gaze; whether that was because it made it easier or he physically couldn't look at the commander Ultra Magnus wasn't sure, and didn't want to ask. Wheeljack's knee was still bouncing, but much less than when they started their conversation. 

"Well, you fought for me too, did you not?" Ultra Magnus said slowly, and he considered it a win as Wheeljack redirected his attention back to him. "When, as you say it, 'scrap it the fan,'" Wheeljack smirked and let out a small chuckle at the commander's second attempt at humor. "you did not run either." 

Wheeljack tilted his helm."You didn't answer me." The Wrecker said softly. 

Ultra Magnus took a deep inhale. "We are Autobots, Wheeljack. We are on the same team and we fight for the same cause." Ultra Magnus paused as he thought back to the conversation. "We are like how Optimus put it; a family." Ultra Magnus allowed a small smile to come to his face. 

"We fight stronger when we are together." He looked past Wheeljack towards the hanger door. "In addition, I do not think the Predacon would have been my biggest worry if I had left you alone." 

Wheeljack let out a laugh at that, looking back himself towards the hanger door. He turned his attention back to Ultra Magnus when the taller mech started speaking again. 

"I owe you an apology, solider." Ultra Magnus said, forcing himself to sit up a little. Wheeljack reached out to stop him, but Ultra Magnus settled himself in the berth. "I have not been respectful to you, I have not been fair. And I demanded that you respected me, when I did nothing worth respecting." 

Wheeljack's expression was hard to read, so Ultra Magnus continued. "Through out my command, we fought back and forth over how to get things done, which was the best way. And I think we looked past the very plain fact that we wanted the same things; we wanted to win the War, and we wanted to save as many men as we could while doing it. We just…"

"Had different methods. Different ideals." Wheeljack finished, and Ultra Magnus hummed in agreement. Wheeljack adjusted himself on the stool and cleared his throat. "You don't owe me an apology, chief, but I'll forgive you, if it helps you sleep better. We were both in the wrong." 

Wheeljack curled in on himself for the first time since their conversation started. "I'm…sorry too."

The words sounded forced and like Wheeljack tried to push them out as fast as he could, but Ultra Magnus could still tell he was genuine. He was trying here, and that's what mattered. 

Ultra Magnus reached out his good servo and placed it on top of Wheeljack's, and the Wrecker responded by giving the servo a tight squeeze before pulling away. 

Wheeljack stood up and brushed the dust off himself, coughing a little as he did so. "Thanks for the talk, chief." Wheeljack said, picking up his stool and carrying it back over to the side. "I'll try to stop ignorin' ya, but no promises." 

"Thank you, Wheeljack." Ultra Magnus said, lowering himself back on his berth so he could get some more recharge before the others got back from picking up the children from school. "For everything." 

Wheeljack was caught off guard by the genuine tone of his fellow Autobot, and he stopped in his tracks to turn and face him. Ultra Magnus was already out cold, and Wheeljack allowed a smile to rise on his face. 

"You're welcome." Wheeljack replied softly, his tone surprisingly genuine as well. 

Wheeljack gave the commander one last glance before he turned and walked towards the hanger doors, where Bulkhead was waiting on the other side. The green Wrecker was taking a page out of Wheeljack's book; leaning against the hanger door with his arms crossed over his chassis and a killer smirk on his face. 

Wheeljack snickered and walked into his embrace, gladly accepting Bulkhead's peck on the cheek. "Now was that so bad?" the Wrecker asked, tilting his helm. 

"Yes, it was hell. Zero out of ten recommend doin' that again." Wheeljack replied sarcastically. 

"Just admit it, I was right! You feel so much better now, don't ya?" Bulkhead smiled as the two began to walk towards the road so they could get Miko from school. 

Wheeljack rolled his optics and the two of them transformed. "Whatever you say, Bulk." 

The two of them laughed loudly together as they drove off side by side. Wheeljack would never admit it out loud, but he really _was_ doing much, much better now. 

Maybe, for the first time in millennia, he was doing great.


End file.
